Constitution

Amherstburg Minor Baseball Constitution

The name of this organization shall be the Amherstburg Minor Baseball Inc.

Article II : Aims and Objectives

The aims and objective of the Association are as follows:

To foster and to improve baseball in Amherstburg and the surrounding area, namely Anderdon and Malden.

To teach all participants the proper skills required to play the sport at all levels.

To teach and demonstrate good sportsmanship through competitive sport.

To develop a positive attitude in organized sports.

Article III : Membership

The general membership of this Association shall consist of all citizens of Amherstburg, Anderdon and Malden.

Article IV: Officers

Executive and Board of Directors

The executive of the association shall consist of:

The immediate Past President

The President

The Vice President in charge of (Travel Hardball)

The Vice President in charge of T-Ball division

The Vice President in charge of Rookie House League

The Vice President in charge of Girls House League

The Vice President in charge of Boys Interlock House League

The Secretary

The Treasurer

All members of the executive shall be elected at the annual meeting.

The term of office for all members of the Executive shall be effective the first day of the month following the annual meeting and shall continue until the next annual meeting.

The Board of Directors shall consist of:

The Executive

The chair of Fund Raising

The Chair of Equipment

The Chair of Special Events

The Umpire in Chief

The Convener of each division

The Chair of Player Development

The Convener of Miracle League

The Chair of Scheduling

All members of the Board of Directors shall be appointed by the Executive.

The term of office for all members of the Board of Directors shall extend from the date of appointment until the next annual meeting.

A member of the Board of Directors may be removed from the Board by a two-thirds vote of the Executive. In such case written notification of such an action must be provided to the members of the Executive and the member of the Board concerned seven calendar days prior to the date of the vote.

Article V: Meetings

Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held once a month, or at the discretion of the President. The first meeting of a new Board of Directors shall be held within four weeks after the election of the new Executive/Board.

Meetings of the Executive shall be held at the discretion of the Executive with a minimum of three meetings per year. In the event that the President receives a request in writing that has been signed by three members of the Executive, a meeting of the Executive must be called within one week of the receipt of the notification.

An annual meeting of the general membership of the Association shall be held in October.

Article VI: Amendments To The Constitution And Bylaws

Amendments to the constitution shall be made only at the annual meeting.

Amendments to the Bylaws may be made during the year by the Executive. No such change shall remain in effect unless ratified at the next annual meeting.

Any matter of change to the Constitution and / or Bylaws that has been put on the floor and voted on (whether passed or defeated) at any annual meeting shall be brought before the general membership prior to the next annual meeting.

Article VII: Fiscal

The fiscal year end shall be October 31st of each year.

BYLAWS

Section I: Annual meeting

The annual meeting of the Association shall be held each October.

The following items shall be available to any member of the Association seven days prior to the annual meeting:

the minutes of the last annual meeting

any proposed amendments to the constitution and / or bylaws that have been received

the financial statements for the past fiscal year

I) The members of the Executive shall be elected by a simple majority at the annual meeting.

II) In the event that a position on the Executive (with the exception of the Past President) is not filled by appointment by the new Executive. A new Executive must consist of a minimum of three elected members. Failing the election of a new Executive, a subsequent meeting of the general membership shall be called within one month of the last general meeting for the purpose of filling the vacant positions.

III The members of the Board of Directors shall be appointed by the new Executive at the first meeting following the annual meeting. In the event that some positions of the Board of Directors are not filled, then those positions may be filled by means of appointments by the Executive prior to the start of the following season.

Section II: Quorum and Voting

All meetings of the Executive and of the Board of Directors shall require a minimum of ½ of the members of that group to be in attendance in order to form a quorum.

The annual meeting shall require a minimum of ½ of the executive and a minimum of ½ of the Board of Directors to form a quorum.

Any other meeting of the general membership shall be requiring minimum of ½ of the Executive and a minimum ½ Board of Directors to form a quorum.

A motion at a meeting of the Executive or the Board of Directors shall require a simple majority of those present and eligible to vote.

Any changes to the Bylaws shall require a two-thirds majority of those present and eligible to vote.

Any changes to the Constitution shall be subject to the following majorities:

Proposals received a minimum - 2/3 of those present

of seven days prior to the and eligible to vote

meeting.

Proposals received within - 9/10 of those present

seven days of the meeting and eligible to vote.

including those received

from the floor

I) At the meeting of the Executive, each officer shall have one vote regardless of the number of officers held.

Similarity, at a meeting of the Board of Directors, each Director shall have one vote regardless of the number of offices held.

While Directors may be invited to attend meetings of the Executive, it is understood that their right to vote on matters of executive jurisdiction shall be suspended at said meetings.

At any meeting concerned under the direction of A.A.M. Minor Baseball, the President shall have the right to cast the deciding ballet in the event of a tie

Should a matter arise through the fiscal year, that the President deems affects the greater good of AMBA as a whole, the President will have the sole discretion to bring this matter to a vote of the Board of Directors, before any decision is made. This includes matters that may fall, or appear to fall under the jurisdiction of another Board member.

Section III: Elections

All elections shall be conducted by secret ballot only.

In order to be elected to any position, an individual must be nominated and seconded and acknowledge a willingness to run for the position. Acknowledgement may be sent in writing to the annual meeting.

Section IV: Duties of the Executive

The duties of the Past President shall be:

To oversee the transfer of duties to the new President and Executive to maintain continuity of the Association from one year to the next.

To act as an advisor to the President.

The duties of the President shall be:

To attend all meetings of the Executive and the Board of Directors.

To be responsible for the operation of all divisions of minor ball.

To schedule all meetings of the Executive and Board of Directors.

To schedule the annual meeting.

To preside over all meetings.

To set the agenda for all meetings called.

To draft a yearly schedule of events by January for submission to the Executive and to the Board of Directors for approval.

To insure that the aims and objectives of the association are adhered to in all divisions.

The duties of Vice-President in Charge (Travel Hardball) shall be:

To attend all meetings of the Executive and the board of Directors.

To be responsible of the overall operation of the division.

To nominate the coaches for approval by the Executive.

To act as the representative of the Association in dealings with Sun Parlour and O.B.A..

To hold meetings with the coaches as needed.

To insure that all equipment needs for the division are satisfied.

To be responsible for the organization of and the procedures to be used for tryouts each spring.

To insure that all players are registered with Sun Parlour and O.B.A.

If any teams proceeds to the O.B.A. finals, to assist the coaches with the arrangements.

To assist the President in the overall operation of the baseball program.

To insure that the aims and objectives of the Association are adhered to in the division.

The duties of Vice-President in Charge (Girl’s House League) shall be:

To attend all meetings of the Executive and the board of Directors.

To be responsible of the overall operation of the division.

To nominate the conveners for approval by the Executive.

To nominate the coaches for approval by the Executive

To hold meetings with the coaches as needed.

To insure that all equipment needs for the division are satisfied.

To be responsible for the organization of and the procedures to draft the teams each spring.

To be responsible for an annual written evaluation of each player in the division.

To assist the President in the overall operation of the baseball program.

To insure that the aims and objectives of the Association are adhered to in the division.

The duties of Vice-President in Charge (Boy’s House League) shall be:

To attend all meetings of the Executive and the board of Directors.

To be responsible of the overall operation of the division.

To nominate the conveners for approval by the Executive.

To nominate the coaches for approval by the Executive

To hold meetings with the coaches as needed.

VI) To insure that all equipment needs for the division are satisfied.

VII) To be responsible for the organization of and the procedures to draft the teams each spring.

VIII) To be responsible for an annual written evaluation of each player in the division.

IX) To assist the President in the overall operation of the baseball program.

X) To insure that the aims and objectives of the Association are adhered to in the division.

F. The duties of the Treasurer shall be:

I) To attend all meetings of the Executive and the Board of Directors.

II) To maintain the financial records of the association.

III) To prepare the financial statement(s) for the annual meeting.

IV) To provide a financial report to the Executive as requested.

V) To oversee all fund raising activities for the association.

VI) To prepare an annual budget each January.

VII) To assist the President in the overall operation of the baseball program.

G. The duties of the Secretary shall be:

I) To attend all meetings of the Executive and the board of Directors.

II) To act as the recorder of the minutes at all meetings.

III) To prepare copies of the minutes of all meetings.

IV) To assist the President in the overall operation of the baseball program.

Section V: Duties of the Board of Directors

A. The duties of the Chair of Fund Raising shall be:

I) To attend all meetings of the Executive and the board of Directors.

II) To organize all fund raising activities for the association.

III) To report to the Treasurer on all fund raising activities.

B. The duties of the Chair of Equipment shall be:

I) To attend all meetings of the Executive and the board of Directors.

II) To order all equipment for each division with the approval of the executive.

III) To be responsible for the maintenance and storage of all equipment.

C. The duties of the chair of Public Relations and Special Events shall be:

I) To attend all meetings of the Executive and the board of Directors.

II) To report the scores and standings for each division to the media on a weekly basis.

III) To be responsible for any communications with the media on behalf of the Association.

IV) To organize any special events planned by the Executive.

D. The duties of the Umpire-in Chief shall be:

I) To attend all meetings of the Executive and the Board of Directors.

II) To schedule umpires for all regularly scheduled games as directed by the Executive.

III) To schedule umpires for any other games that has been approved by the executive.

IV) To keep a record of all games worked by each umpire and to provide such record to the treasurer on a monthly basis.

V) To sit as a member of the protest committee.

VI) To assist the Vice Presidents of each division with any rule changes.

E. The duties of a Division Convener shall be:

I) To attend all meetings of the Executive and the board of Directors.

II) To be responsible for the operation of the division.

III) To act as a liaison between the division and the Vice President.

IV) To conduct evaluations of players together with the coaches of the division that the convener is responsible for, and report the results to the respective Vice-Presidents.

The duties of the Chair of Scheduling shall be:

To develop schedules for all house league divisions and reserve diamonds accordingly, in coordination with division conveners.

To schedule diamonds for all travel team games and practices, in coordination with travel team coaches and conveners.

To schedule umpires for all games.

To develop and implement scheduling of special events, in coordination with the Chair of Special Events.

To develop and implement scheduling of tournaments, in coordination with the tournament organizer.

Monitor, modify and update all schedules on an ongoing basis and make any changes necessary due to weather, or other circumstances.

Coordinate all of the above with Town of Amherstburg staff.

Maintain communication regarding all scheduling and related information via email, website postings, social media, or any other means necessary.

Section VI): Player Eligibility

A. The executive alone shall be responsible for the determination of age groupings for all of the House League divisions based upon the number of registrations in any given year.

B. Any parent who wishes to have their son or daughter play in a different age grouping must submit a written request to the Executive. However, in all cases, the Executive shall have the final say in the placement of any boy or girl in a division,

C. All Travel and Tournament teams shall be subject to the age requirements of the outside organization.

Section VII: Rules Interpretations

A. I) All House League softball teams shall be subject to the rules of Softball Canada and to the individual rules established by this Association for each division.

II) In the event of a conflict, the rules of softball shall take precedence.

B. I) All Travel and Tournament teams shall be subject to the rules governing association (s).

II) All travel teams shall consist of a minimum of 8 Amherstburg residents. The remaining players may be chosen from out of center, if available. Any exceptions will be dealt with on a team by team basis.

III) All players from peewee and under may be granted practice releases for the purpose of tryouts in another center. Full releases will be granted only in the case of unanimous agreement between the affected division/team coach, and the Travel Convener. Stalemates between a coach and convener will be brought to the Board of Directors for a vote.

C. I) The rules committee shall decide on any protest that may arise over the interpretation of a rule and shall consist of the Umpire in Chief, Convener of the division in which the protest occurred and a member of the Executive. In all cases, if any member of the Rules Committee has a conflict as a result of personal involvement in the protest, that member shall request that the Executive appoint an alternate.

II) The Rules Committee shall request either a written

submission from the parties involved or request them to attend a meeting for clarification.

D. I) Any player, coach or umpire who strikes another player, coach or umpire or person or who uses fowl language or gestures or any other inappropriate behavior before, during or after a game or practice while on park premises is subject to the disciplinary action at the discretion of the Rule Committee.

II) Any appeal concerning a decision of the Rules Committee shall be made in writing and submitted to a member of the Executive with 48 hours of the time of notification of the decision.

Section VII: Policies Procedures and Regulations

The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the creation of day to day Policies, Procedures and Regulations. These Policies, Procedures and Regulations will be made at meetings of the Board of Directors with a minimum of ½ of the members present, and in order to be passed, a policy requires 2/3 of those present in favour.

The section of Policies Procedures and Regulations, will include all matters affecting day to day operation of minor baseball and will include things such as, but not limited to; coach discipline, refunds, releases, policies regarding player eligibility, etc.

Registration Refund Policy – House league – Upon registration there is a $50 processing fee that is not refundable prior to teams being selected. Once a house league team has been created by the AMBA convenor or AMBA coaching staff there will be no refunds provided for any reason. –

Registration Refund Policy – Travel players – once a team has been created by the AMBA travel convenor or AMBA coaching staff there will be no refunds provided for any reason. The player will be assigned to a house league team. If the player does not wish to participate in house league play there will be no refund provided.

Travel or Select player fee refund policy – once payments are collected to AMBA – there will be no refunds provided for any reason.

*Board has the right to grant a review or deny any situation for refunds.